Police nab five for cutting rail line

Kade, 17, GNA - The Kade police have mounted an operation leading to the arrest of five people for cutting a portion of the disused Kade-Achiase railway line into pieces with intent to trading them as metal scraps.

The five are Samuel Addo, 43, spare parts and scraps dealer, Joseph Mensah, 23, welder, Mohammed Yaya, 24, diamond dealer, Daniel Attah, 21, electrician, and Sulemana Saeed, 40, a welder.

All five have been detained in police cells at Akwatia and Kade to allow further investigations to be conducted. Briefing newsmen at Kade, the District Commander of Police, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mr Samuel Yeboah said based on a tip-off that some unknown persons had cut a portion of the disused Kade-Achiase railway line on the Kade-Kusi road, he detailed two policemen to go with the informant to verify.

ASP Yeboah said when the police went they found that a portion of the line had been cut into pieces ready for conveyance. The Police therefore laid ambush and during the night, two of the suspects Mensah and Atta alighted from a taxi and walked towards where the line had been cut into pieces.

ASP Yeboah said when his men confronted the two denied any wrongdoing, but upon interrogation, the taxi driver confessed that he was hired by the two to go and convey some metals and cylinders from the bush.

He said when the two were brought before him, Atta initially denied but Mensah confessed that they hired the driver to go and convey the items.

The District Police Commander said when he cautioned Atta to say the truth since his accomplice had confessed, he mentioned Yaya as the one who sent them to go and convey the items. Yaya, he said was arrested in his house at Kade Zongo. According to ASP Yeboah, whilst the three were being escorted to the scene, Yaya spotted Addo near the charge office of the Kade Police Station and pointed him out as their master who engaged them to do the work for him. He said when the police vehicle turned and went to where Addo was spotted he was no where to be found but was later arrested Suleimana Saeed, 40 a welder was picked up at Akwayia as the one who operated the rail-cutting machine machine.

The District Commander said Saeed confessed that he was allegedly engaged by Addo for a fee of 500,000 cedis to execute the job and brought out the welding machine. All the five would be put before court for prosecution after investigations by the police, he said. Meanwhile, the five, whose plea were not taken have been remanded into the Nsawam Prisons for two weeks by a District Magistrate Court at Kade. They were charged on two counts of conspiracy and stealing and are to reappear before the court on May 13, at the court, presided over by Mr Kwaku Baah Frimpong. 17 May 07